


Neal's Christmas Blessing

by Pennygirl612



Category: White Collar
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:33:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21945166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pennygirl612/pseuds/Pennygirl612
Summary: Peter finds himself worrying about how Neal is spending his first Christmas Eve since being released from prison.
Relationships: Elizabeth Burke/Peter Burke, Peter Burke/Neal Caffrey
Comments: 8
Kudos: 88





	Neal's Christmas Blessing

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for obnoxious sweetness and Christmas related fluff! Happy Holiday!

Neal’s Christmas Blessing

During the drive home, Peter had a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach which had developed into a full gut-wrenching churn by the time he stepped inside his house. And with just two seemingly innocent words, Elizabeth delivered the final blow to his fantasy belief that he could have a normal, carefree night with his wife.

“What’s wrong?” Elizabeth asked spying the troubled look on Peter’s face. She recognized the look of course. The crease across his forehead only became that pronounced when Neal was involved. 

Glaring at her, Peter growled in response. “Where’s Neal? That’s what you’re really asking, isn’t it? He’s not always my responsibility,” Peter insisted while taking off his jacket. “I can have one day…I can certainly have Christmas Eve at least to just be with my wife.”

Elizabeth listened patiently to her husband rant, hearing what he was really saying. He was worried about Neal and simply didn’t want to admit it. Something must have occurred during the day that had his Neal-going-off-the-deep-end radar sounding red alert. She remained silent knowing full well her husband needed to work it out for himself without interference from her. 

Throwing up his hands, Peter snapped, “Fine. Have it your way, I’ll go get him!” 

As she helped him back into his jacket, she tried not to smile. “If you think that’s best.”

Peter failed to detect the slight sarcasm in his wife’s voice. “I don’t know why you are always worrying about him. He’s an adult, you know!” Digging into his pockets, he continued to mumble half under his breath, “Yeah, as we speak he’s probably in the parlor with June, Christmas carols playing in the background, being pampered with spiked eggnog and gingerbread cookies.” 

Amused by her husband’s befuddled state, she watched as he scanned the room in frustration. “Looking for these?” Elizabeth finally asked holding up his car keys. 

“Yes,” he answered accepting the keys. As he opened the door, he continued speaking. “Traffic is going to be a bitch, but I’ll go get him. Lord knows you’re not going to give me a moment’s peace until I do!” 

Passing through the doorway, she heard him say, “You know I’d like someone giving me gingerbread cookies or maybe some peanut butter fudge or even sugar cookies shaped like Christmas trees…”

When the door closed, Elizabeth shook her head and burst out laughing. Then she proceeded into the kitchen and started gathering the ingredients necessary to make her husband Christmas cookies. Seemed like the least she could do.  
+++++

Traffic was indeed a bitch and had the added bonus of allowing Peter’s mind ample time to replay his day with Neal. To anyone else, Neal would have seemed fine, normal even. But throughout the day, there had been little hints that something was off. Neal was a little too quiet. When attention was turned in his direction; his smile came a little too quickly, planted too easily on his face. 

And then there had been when Cruz and Jones had asked about his Christmas plans. It had seemed like an innocent enough question, after all it was his first one in over four years that hadn’t been spent in prison. Rather nonchalantly, Neal had answered he was spending it at June’s before expertly deflecting away any further questions on the subject.

Pulling up to the curb on Riverside Drive, Peter was surprised to find the mansion ghostly dark. And his gut churned even more when the ringing of the doorbell went unanswered, and he had to let himself inside. The house was both empty and cold. 

Turning on the light in the parlor, Peter expected to see it fully decked out in Christmas decorations and was mystified to find it completely barren of any sign of the holiday season. No stockings hung over the fireplace, no colored garland or stringed popcorn across the mantle, no Christmas tree with wrapped presents lying beneath. Peter could only conclude that June had decided to spend the holiday elsewhere. More concerning was the fact that Neal had never made mention of that fact. He had to have known that Peter wouldn’t have let him spend Christmas alone if he had known June was away so why wouldn’t Neal have said something?

Not wasting another moment, Peter took the stairs two at a time until he was outside Neal’s loft knocking on the door. Impatiently he waited. When the door at last opened and he saw Neal’s expression, Peter felt like he had taken a sucker punch to the stomach. In the space of a heartbeat, he watched Neal’s hopeful look change to bitter disappointment before the conman could get his mask firmly back in place.

“Peter! What a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?” 

Neal managed to somehow sound cheerful when Peter knew he felt anything but. The slight red-rim to his eyes told Peter the truth about how Neal was feeling. And now standing there Peter wasn’t exactly sure what to say. Despite the unease Peter had felt on his way over, this scenario had never occurred to him. It had never crossed his mind that Neal would be sitting alone in his loft on Christmas Eve waiting for something or more specifically for someone Peter knew would never come. Even Santa Claus himself couldn’t deliver the one thing Neal desperately wanted for Christmas. 

Not for the first time, Peter cursed the day that Kate had entered Neal’s life. The pain she had caused and continued to reign down on Neal made the blood boil in Peter’s veins, but the sad, dull blue eyes staring back at him made Peter bite back any derogatory comment he wanted to say about the so-called love of Neal’s life. 

Instead, Peter took on a look of chagrin and kept his tone deliberately light. “Well, you know how Elizabeth can be. She insisted, wouldn’t listen to reason if you really want to know the truth, you spend Christmas Eve at our house.”

Neal stared hard at Peter; raising an eyebrow to let Peter know he wasn’t buying the story Peter was trying to sell him for one second. “I didn’t know Elizabeth worried that much about me,” Neal replied, his answer furthering the charade the two of them were playing. 

Continuing to watch Peter who was obviously unsure of what to say next, Neal felt conflicted. Yes, for one brief moment, he had dared hope to find Kate standing on the other side of the door, but if he was honest with himself, Neal knew she would never come. With Kate it had always been a chase and it seemed he could never quite catch her or if he did, he couldn’t seem to make her stay. 

Finding Peter standing at his door on Christmas Eve was a blessing, maybe even his own Christmas miracle. It meant he wasn’t alone. It meant he mattered to at least one person even if Peter couldn’t openly admit it and was relying on the subterfuge that his wife was the reason for his presence at Neal’s doorstep. And Neal knew he shouldn’t have been surprised. Although their Agent/CI relationship was relatively new, already Peter had developed an uncanny sense of when something was off with Neal, somehow knowing when Neal needed (dare he say it?) a friend.

Under Neal’s watchful gaze, Peter shifted nervously and couldn’t quite meet Neal’s eyes. Clearing his throat, he finally managed to break the silence. “Elizabeth, uh, she tries not to, but still, she can’t—she can’t seem to help herself.”

Neal’s lips upturned slightly listening to his half-stuttered attempt at speech. Neal suspected Elizabeth would both be proud and rolling on the floor laughing at her husband if she was here. Neal’s amusement quickly turned to guilt. This was Christmas Eve. Peter should be with his family, not standing awkwardly at his CI’s door. 

“Of course, it’s not like Elizabeth can look up my anklet tracking data anytime she wants to and see that I’m safe and sound at home,” Neal responded, his tone slightly mocking.

Taking a deep breath, Peter managed to make eye contact with Neal. “But that little blip on a map wouldn’t really tell her if you were okay or not, would it? It wouldn’t satisfy her gut feeling that something was up with you today.”

Neal blinked and looked down. “I guess it wouldn’t. And Elizabeth’s gut-”

“-is never wrong,” Peter finished, giving Neal a slight push into his apartment. “So put some shoes on and grab your coat. You’re coming with me whether you like or not.”

“And if I tell you I have plans?” Neal asked even as he sat down on the couch to be put on his loafers. 

Peter snorted, “Yeah, I got an idea of what your plans were for tonight. I like Elizabeth’s idea better.”

Grabbing his jacket, Neal hesitated at the door. He wanted nothing more than to give in and go with Peter, but still he couldn’t help but think it was wrong. This wasn’t supposed to be how his FBI handler treated him. Neal was still thinking of Kate. Still looking for Kate behind Peter’s back. He didn’t deserve to spend an evening with him and his wife. That was reserved for family which Neal was most certainly not. Still, the thought of even just one night of feeling like he was part of something greater than himself was too much for him to simply throw away so he compromised and gave Peter an out even as he hoped beyond hope that Peter wouldn’t take it.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to disappoint Elizabeth, but it is Christmas Eve, Peter. Don’t you want to spend time alone with your wife?”

Peter started to make a smart remark but stopped again somehow sensing that this moment was bigger than he could imagine. Taking a deep breath, Peter chose his words carefully. “I think what I—what Elizabeth wants most for Christmas is to spend time with family.” 

Ignoring the shocked expression on Neal’s face, Peter placed a gentle hand on Neal’s back and escorted him out of the apartment and into his car. As Neal settled in the seat next to him, Peter’s gut finally stopped churning and Neal allowed himself to breathe in a fresh new hope regarding his future. Spending time with family…yes, that’s what Christmas was supposed to be all about. 

“Peter?” Neal said when they at last made it to the Burke residence.

“Yeah?”

“I’m really glad Elizabeth insisted you come get me.”

Peter laughed. “Me too, Neal. Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Totally not happy with the title. Feel free to offer up a better one if anyone has any ideas!


End file.
